Scottish Ballet

Close encounters

Intimacy coaches are a rare sight at a dance rehearsal. But as Kelly Apter learns, Scottish Ballet called in the experts to ease preparations for a new production about the notorious Austrian royal court

After two years of social distancing, dancing in ‘bubbles’ and wearing masks in the studio, Scottish Ballet’s dancers are enjoying getting reacquainted. The company’s Christmas production of The Nutcracker was a step in the right direction (at least the audience was in the same room, not watching on a screen) but The Scandal At Mayerling goes further still.

‘It’s very sensual and luscious, there’s a lot of skin-to-skin touching and kissing involved, which is great,’ says dancer Sophie Martin excitedly. ‘I think after Nutcracker we all want to take our masks off and get a bit closer.’ n show with the word scandal’ in the title is bound to keep things interesting, and this reimagining of Sir Kenneth MacMillan’s 1978 ballet is no exception. Depicting the life and tragic suicide of ustria’s Crown Prince udolf, the show is packed with love, lust, drug use and death. ut while udolf himself is at the heart of this historical tale, the women who surrounded him in the Viennese royal court played a pi otal role in his life and in this ballet. mother who didn’t know how to love him, a wife who did, and several mistresses who came in and out of his bed all found their way into MacMillan’s ballet. With no less than nine pas de deux to deliver, the dancers

have to ensure that each duet in The Scandal At Mayerling has a different feel and each connection with udolf has a different a our. artin, who pla s his teenage mistress ar Vetsera, sa s there are no boundaries it’s just lust ’ While for Constance e erna , who is taking on the role of his beleaguered wife, Princess tephanie, things are a little more understated. he’s er different to ar , er rigid and a bit more innocent. ’ e been doing some research, and originall their union was seen b both of them as good it’s onl towards the end that the had issues. o ’m tr ing to make the first few minutes of the duet lighter before it goes into the scar bits.’ e erna herself is getting married this summer and is channelling what she calls bride e citement’ for her initial e change with udolf. hope nothing like this happens to me ’ she adds with a laugh. esearch has helped man of the dancers find their feet in this th centur drama, including ishan enjamin who pla s another of udolf’s mistresses, it i. istor books claiming that it i was his true lo e’ ha e helped inform enjamin’s portra al and allowed her to slightl spice it up and incorporate that e tra bit of jo ’. enjamin, like the rest of the compan , took part in special workshops run b fight and intimac compan c nnie, teaching the dancers safe use of replica firearms and appropriate boundaries when getting up close and personal. lthough, ironicall , sometimes these things are easier to do in front of a large crowd. This is the first time ’ll e er ha e to be e tremel intimate with an one on stage, so it’s not something ’m used to,’ sa s enjamin. ut actuall , feel more comfortable doing this kind of thing during a performance, because in rehearsals we all know each other and e er one else is just standing there watching. Whereas on stage, ou’re wearing a costume, ou’re in character, e er one is re ed up and read to perform, so it’s easier.’ ne dancer who won’t be looking for a sensual e change with udolf is arge endrick, who pla s his mpress mother. nd if ou’re wondering wh this man ne er found true contentment with an of his lo ers, the clues are out there. ll of the mpress’ children were taken awa b her mother in law,’ notes endrick. o she wasn’t present during their childhood and udolf didn’t ha e a relationship with his mother when he was oung. uring our pas de deu , he asks for lo e and she’s unable to gi e it. eep down she would like to, but she’s incapable of tenderness. Perhaps that e plains some of his beha iour during the ballet and throughout his life.’

Scottish Ballet: The Scandal At Mayerling, Theatre Royal, Glasgow, Wednesday 13–Saturday 16 April; Festival Theatre, Edinburgh, Wednesday 25–Saturday 28 May.

PICTURES: MIHAELA BODLOVIC

There were 40 herons nesting in the trees

Winner of 2015’s Scottish Album Of The Year Award, Kathryn Joseph writes frank lyrics and creates tender sounds. With a big Glasgow gig looming and a new album in the offi ng, she tells Fiona Shepherd about an out-of-body experience on stage from last year and why her new record is like a favourite child

Your new album is called for you who are the wronged: is it a product of the pandemic? Yes, lockdown happened and it’s the fastest I’ve ever written. My main thought was of people in abusive situations: what do they do now? That consumed me a bit, just how difficult it is to get out of and not damage anyone else in the process.

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Although the songs are inspired by people you know,

abuse of power runs deep and wide That’s what is so upsetting, that feeling of being lied to by people in power. But those same personalities are in your day-to-day life and getting away with it. The people in power are all of us at different times.

What was it like recording with Lomond Campbell at his studio near Fort William?

I knew that I wanted to do it differently, to go away somewhere and enjoy the process more. Lomond Campbell did sound at one of my earliest gigs in Aberdeen. His singer/songwriter stuff is great but also he’s brilliant at inventing machines that make clever electronic noise so I felt like it was going to be really easy to be able to do something else.

And was it? Really easy, and really lovely: there were 40 herons nesting in the trees, Ben Nevis in the background. It was one of those ridiculous perfect weeks where I cried with laughter; his dog put her head on my knee while we were recording and you can hear me snuffling with joy on the track.

How has your singing developed? Oddly, I felt like I didn’t really know how to sing anymore. This record is much quieter; I’m not pushing my voice that much but I also wasn’t sure if I was in tune for some of it. I’m still not very sure . . . performing the songs for the first time at the Edinburgh International Festival [in 2021], I honestly felt like I was having an out-of-body experience. Can I even sing? But someone is letting me get away with it . . . again.

You are notoriously hard on yourself: how do you feel about

this album? This one is my favourite third child. It’s the closest I’ve made to something I would want to listen to. It’s not just about raging, I want something that makes sense the whole way through but is hopefully going to make you feel better. I want it to be a record of how amazing people are for surviving.

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PICTURE: GERHARD KUEHNE

MUSIC

THE BRIDGE FESTIVAL

Bringing together 50 string players from Norway, Germany, Estonia and Scotland, The Bridge Festival is a new gathering of Europe’s finest classical ensembles who all have innovation, collaboration and celebration built into their DNA. With this first festival hosted by the Scottish Ensemble in Glasgow, concerts will not only showcase all four groups jointly but will give each an opportunity to share their distinctive voice.

‘We had realised that there wasn’t really a network for smaller freelance ensembles across Europe,’ says Jenny Jamison, Scottish Ensemble CEO. ‘But we were all doing classical music in different ways and could learn from each other through being better connected.’ In addition to the main concerts, pop-up chamber groups are spread around the city, bringing classical music to people in non-traditional ways. Musicians combine to perform two world premieres by composers who draw influence from the arenas of rock, pop and classical, namely Mica Levi, pop artist and film composer from the UK, and Estonian rock musician turned composer Erkki-Sven Tüür. There’s also Radiohead’s Jonny Greenwood and his retort to Penderecki with ‘48 Responses To Polymorphia’ for 48 string players.

‘It’s powerful and iconic,’ says Jamison. ‘We’re touching classical music up against other genres and opening up an experimental, wider sound world.’ Each group’s repertoire brings something unique. ‘Trondheim Soloists have really interesting folk tunes, while Resonanz from Germany cross cultures with music from Turkey and Azerbaijan,’ adds Jamison, whose own Scottish Ensemble presents Anna Meredith’s Anno, one of their all-time great successes, for strings and electronics. Venues aren’t same-old either. ‘We’re using spaces like Barrowlands, Mackintosh Church and Glad Café. In all of the concerts we’re letting the music speak for itself, but in non-traditional classical music spaces, and always with a new-found energy of sharing.’ (Carol Main)

n Various venues, Glasgow, Thursday 21–Sunday 24 April. m u s ic• m u s ic •

CLASSIC CUT: NOSFERATU

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Now celebrating a full century of sending icy shivers up and down people’s spinal cords, FW Murnau’s silent masterpiece has achieved the near-impossible for a lm so decrepit in years. Modern audiences might demand more thrills and spills than a classic slice of German expressionism could normally provide them with, but the sight of a shaven-headed man with wild ears and e en wilder fingernails, ha ing his ghoulish shadow cast on the side of a wall retains the power to repulse and unsettle. till hugel in uential, this grandiose 1922 gothic horror starring the redoubtable Max Schreck will have you wondering why sleep has suddenly become so dif cult to attain. (Brian Donaldson) n C am eo P icturehous e, E dinburgh, Sunday 3 April.

DANCE

BALLETBOYZ

They may be classically trained, but there is always an edge to a BalletBoyz performance that gives the company their trademark style, mixing graceful, playful, macho and intelligent dance. The troupe started out in 2000, founded by two former Royal Ballet dancers, Michael Nunn and William Trevitt. Their aim was to create risk-taking and distinctive dance, and they set about achieving this by reaching out to collaborate with creatives from various disciplines at the top of their game.

The Boyz’ latest show, Deluxe, heads our way after its 2020 tour was curtailed by the pandemic, and true to form (and the piece’s name) there are some top-class working partnerships to look forward to. The double bill features original scores composed by Mercurynominated jazz musician and composer Cassie Kinoshi, choreography from Maxine Doyle (Associate Director for theatre innovators Punchdrunk) and a new piece by Xie Xin, the acclaimed Chinese choreographer.

Xin met the company on one of their previous tours to China, and came over to their UK studios along with composer Jiang Shaofeng to create Ripple, which is based around ebb and flow. As an extra touch, the pieces are preluded with documentary films which lift a veil for audiences on the choreographic process. (Lucy Ribchester) n Festival Theatre, Edinburgh, Sunday 3 April.

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PICTURE: JACK FINNIGAN FUTURE SOUND

Busking gets a bad rap, or is at least somewhat disparaged as no route for a ‘serious’ artiste. Yet increasingly, at least in towns which welcome street musicians, it has become an alternative way for young players to pay their dues; indeed, during lockdown it became the only way to perform or hear live music in person.

For Bellshill-bred 22-year-old Rianne Downey, ‘busking was my apprenticeship. If you want to be a musician, you’re going to be playing in front of people and that’s a scary thing, so busking is like ripping the Band-Aid off. Nobody is there to see you and you have to try to win people over, so it helps you build a thick skin and shake the nerves that would hold you back.’

Downey’s preferred pitch was outside TGI Fridays on Glasgow’s Buchanan Street, prime busking real estate, where she would perform a carefully curated set of retro classics and round off her set with an acoustic ‘I Dreamed A Dream’. Not for her the pop songs of her peers. Downey’s tastes were formed by her parents’ love of indie and ska, and her grandparents’ Buddy Holly records. Little wonder that hearing Jake Bugg for the rst time was a revelation to a young girl who had previously majored in ‘all the Disney-princess songs’.

‘Growing up I loved Johnny Cash,’ she says, ‘but when you’re younger, country music isn’t cool. Then Jake Bugg came along with his album, and it spurred me on to write songs on acoustic guitar.’ Despite her al-fresco gigging experience, Downey was a late bloomer as a songwriter, only really dedicating herself to the craft during the pandemic. ‘I didn’t think I was smart enough or talented enough, but in lockdown I felt I had nothing to lose.’

Her lockdown songs and online performances reached the ears of The Coral’s label Run On Records. In a whirl of activity t for a biopic montage, Downey was signed and in the studio with Coral frontman James Skelly producing her four-song EP before she had time to draw breath. As a testament to her fully-formed skills, debut single ‘Fuel To The Flame’ was the ‘ rst solid song’ she ever wrote. ‘I’d say my songs are very universal. I’m not just writing love songs; I’m very re ective on the hardships of life and getting out of a dark place. I nd my safe haven in writing. It’s allowed me to understand the things in my head that I can’t put into words.’

Now Liverpool-based, Downey has put that busking persuasion to good use in front of thousands of Snuts and Lathums fans, went from TRNSMT attendee to performer in less than 48 hours last year and sold out her own King Tut’s headline show in two days. Meanwhile, being part of the Scottish contingent at last month's South By Southwest festival in Austin, Texas, made her a bona de international touring artist. She returns to her roots for a debut Scottish tour this month, with a new single in the of ng which Downey describes as ‘a step up. It’s more me, it’s more attitude, and it’s dead cool.’

Our new column celebrating music to watch continues with Bellshill-bred ex-busker Rianne Downey. She tells Fiona Shepherd about building a thick skin and fi nding a safe haven in songwriting

MUSIC

STAG & DAGGER

The multi-venue festival returns to Glasgow and Edinburgh bringing a packed line-up of artists from UK and overseas. One wristband grants entry to multiple shows, which populate venues such as Sneaky Pete’s, Broadcast, Mash House and Nice N Sleazy.

Heading up the bill in both cities are Protomartyr and Let’s Eat Grandma. Haling from Detroit, scorched earth post-punks Protomartyr released their fifth album Ultimate Success Today right at the cusp of lockdown. An uneasy and apocalyptic collection of songs, the record has gained extra relevance in the intervening period. Let’s Eat Grandma have just released their third album Two Ribbons, which follows 2018’s much celebrated I’m All Ears. Trading mainly in adventurous synth-pop, the Norwich-based duo almost went their separate ways before coming back together for an album about learning to accept change.

Dream Wife will be joining the party in Edinburgh, bringing their brash 90s-indebted brand of punk and pop in support of second album SoWhen You Gonna… Other acts across the bill include experimental electronica from Gwenno, Norwegian garage rock band Death By Unga Bunga and singersongwriter Liz Lawrence. (Sean Greenhorn) n Various venues, Edinburgh, Saturday 30 April; various venues, Glasgow, Sunday 1 May.

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Gwenno PREVIEWS

COMEDY

JOE LYCETT

Touring for the first time since 2018, Joe Lycett promises something rather special with his More, More, More! How Do You Lycett? How Do You Lycett? show. The puckishly mischievous comic and consumer champion of Channel 4’s Joe Lycett’s Got Your Back has devised his ‘longest and most complicated’ stunt yet, three years in the scheming. Set to share all with showgoers, he enigmatically declares that it involves ‘aliases, opening fake companies, drag queens, scary phone calls from the police, Strictly ComeDancing, angry MPs, news headlines and a giant unicorn.’ When probed for further details, Birmingham’s proudest son will only disclose that it’s ‘full of really gay stuff. It’s very gay. It’s about gays. It’s gay.’ OK, but surely . . .? ‘No. You’ll have to come to the show. What I can say is that it’s to do with gays.’ While he’s hoping to do more GotYour Back after high-profile burns of multinational companies, the recalcitrant piss-artist formerly known as Hugo Boss is also reasonably optimistic that his queer festive extravaganza for Channel 4, Mummy’sBigChristmasDo, cancelled last minute because of rising covid rates, might yet happen in some postponed form. In the meantime, he nurtures ambitions to shoot his first film. Having recently directed some shorts as well as music videos for Litany and Katy J Pearson, Lycett hopes to make a feature some day. ‘But I’m so inexperienced I need to cut my teeth on shorter stuff for now,’ he suggests. ‘I’ve been working with young Birmingham filmmakers and they are so inspiring and helpful.’ Currently, he’s ‘absolutely loving’ being back in front of live audiences. ‘I didn’t realise how much I’d missed it. Doing stand-up is a thrill and a privilege and my favourite thing to do. But only if the audiences are gay.’ And after his tour finishes? ‘More gay stuff.’ (Jay Richardson)

n SEC, Glasgow, Thursday 21 & Friday 22 April.